CJ Perez felt the defending champion San Miguel Beer just gave Game 4 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup finals to TNT without putting up a fight.
The Beermen got outclassed by the Tropang 5G in an 87-110 clobbering that tied the best-of-seven series to 2-2 Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“It was just terrible,” Perez rued after San Miguel’s lackluster performance that got the team falling behind early and buried by as many as 35 points.
Perez, who after his Game 3 heroics came out with a dud with just 11 points on 4-of-15 field goal shooting, thought it was the lack of effort on their end that led to their demise.
“There’s no effort at all. No energy on offense and defense,” he said.
It didn’t help San Miguel’s cause that TNT went on a 65-point tear in the first half and built a 25-point gap by the intermission.
“They (Tropang 5G) started hot. That’s the problem,” he said.
“Our defense and offense were just bad.”
TNT took away San Miguel’s momentum from taking Games 2 and 3, forcing a virtual best-of-three in the rematch of the all-Filipino conference finals.
Game 5 is set today at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
Perez and the Beermen know the battle will be tougher and fiercer.
“It will be more intense as the endgame nears,” Perez said.
“It’s just up to us, how we will respond to the adjustment and physicality TNT will throw at us.”